The invention relates generally to an accessory cover apparatus for selectively covering or exposing an otherwise open vehicle cargo compartment, and more particularly to such a cover apparatus that serves as a security curtain to conceal luggage or other objects carried in the rear compartment of a hatchback, station wagon, pickup truck or similar type vehicle wherein the contents of such a cargo compartment would otherwise be in plain view.
Various cover or security curtain apparatuses for vehicle cargo compartments have previously been provided in the prior art. Many of such prior art cover apparatuses, however, have been found to be inconvenient to use, or relatively expensive to manufacture or install, or have not provided a sufficiently complete and close-fitting cover or barrier to prevent observation of the contents of the cargo compartment. This is due to the fact that many of such prior art cover apparatuses do not fit closely to the ends and/or sides of the compartment, thus leaving gaps through which the contents of the compartment can be observed.
Many of the above disadvantages of prior art cover apparatuses have been addressed and overcome by various cover apparatuses such as those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,139,231; 4,222,601; 4,502,674; 4,479,677; and 4,482,137, for example, all of which are owned by Irvin Industries, the assignee of the present invention, and the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. The various cover apparatuses and components disclosed and claimed in these United States patents have performed well and have provided an effective barrier for concealing the contents of a vehicle compartment. Certain recent changes in vehicle interior designs and configurations, including the recent provision of shoulder harness retention belts for rear seat passengers, have necessitated the provision of clearance between the cover apparatus and the rear side of a rear seat assembly, thus creating a gap that must be filled in order to effectively obscure the contents of the compartment from view.
Therefore, the present invention seeks to provide a vehicle compartment cover apparatus that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, and that provides a relatively close-fitting barrier or security curtain, while accommodating the provision of rear seat shoulder harnesses or other vehicle interior design parameters requiring clearance adjacent a rear seat assembly or other vehicle interior components.
According to the present invention, a cover apparatus for selectively covering or exposing an open vehicle compartment includes a mounting assembly adapted to be interconnected with the vehicle for mounting and supporting the cover apparatus generally adjacent the compartment opening at a longitudinal position generally between the longitudinally-spaced compartments ends. The cover apparatus includes a first cover assembly interconnected with the mounting assembly and extending laterally across the compartment opening. A first cover member is selectively movable between a longitudinally retracted position and a longitudinally extended position, preferably by way of a rollup mechanism such as that described in the above-mentioned United States patents, with the first cover member extending generally between the mounting assembly and one of the compartment ends when in its extended position. The first cover member is also releasably attachable to the compartment end, or to a hatchback door, in order to releasably retain the cover member in its extended position.
A second cover assembly is interconnected with the mounting assembly and extends laterally across the compartment opening, with a second cover member selectively pivotally movable relative to the mounting assembly between a closed position in which the second cover member extends generally between the mounting assembly and a second of the compartment ends and an open position wherein the cover member is pivoted away from the second compartment ends.
Preferably, the cover apparatus according to the present invention further includes an open enclosure member disposed generally within the vehicle compartment and generally adjacent the second cover assembly. The open enclosure defines, at least in part, a sub-compartment with the second cover member substantially closing off the sub-compartment when in its closed position and providing access to the interior of the sub-compartment when in its open position. A preferred detent arrangement is provided for releasably retaining the closed second cover member in a relatively tight-fitting relationship with the rear side of a rear seat assembly, or such other compartment end, and for urging the second cover member toward its closed position when it is moved to a pivoted position closely adjacent the closed position.
The preferred mounting assembly for the cover apparatus according to the present invention includes mounting bracket members interconnected with the laterally spaced-apart compartment sides and with both of the above-mentioned cover assemblies for supporting the cover apparatus relative to the vehicle. The mounting assembly also includes provisions for adjustably varying the lateral position of the mounting bracket members relative to the cover assemblies in order to accommodate variations in the lateral dimension between the compartment sides, such as the variations that occur within a given vehicle model due to various interior equipment or trim options. Additionally, due to the provision of the above-discussed pivotal second cover member, the mounting assembly can be mounted in a longitudinally spaced-apart relationship with the rearward side of a rear seat assembly in order to provide the gap or clearance required for rear seat shoulder harnesses or other equipment, while still allowing this gap to be closed off to obscure the cargo compartment interior from view.
Additional objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.